Local News

INDEPENDENCE — Med-Fit Systems Inc. is reviewing its options for the fitness equipment company’s future, following layoffs at its Independence plant last week.
California-based Med-Fit, which makes Nautilus equipment, laid off a total of 94 workers at the local plant — 61 last week and 33 that were initially furloughed in March.
Workers at some other Med-Fit locations were affected, as well.
Med-Fit owner Dean Sbragia outlined the plans for the company in a letter to employees that was shared with The Gazette.

FRIES — Members of Fries Town Council gathered on April 17 to hear a special presentation from Mountaintop Community Schools, a group that is interested in developing a non-denominational Christian private school in the town with a one-room schoolhouse structure.
In addition to seeking the town’s support, the group has requested that the school be allowed to use either the old Fries firehouse or the bingo hall as the schoolhouse.

HILLSVILLE — Adding several rural rustic road improvement projects to the Carroll County six-year plan may be the way to go, as the Virginia Department of Transportation sees a new influx of funding for roads.
VDOT’s Dan Huff, Hillsville area land use engineer; and Lisa Hughes, regional residency administrator over Carroll, appeared at the Carroll Board of Supervisors’ meeting April 14 to share a draft of the secondary road six-year plan and the 2014-2015 project priority list.

The Galax Volunteer Fire Department was called to Twin County Regional Hospital early Thursday morning, when a routine test of the hospital generator resulted in an electrical fire inside the building.
According to a report from Galax Fire Chief David Hankley, firefighters were dispatched to the hospital at 4:10 a.m. on April 24. The 911 dispatch reported that it had received calls from the hospital stating that there had been two explosions, Hankley told The Gazette.

HILLSVILLE — Two women were injured in a single-vehicle wreck on U.S. 52 just north of Hillsville at 1:38 p.m. on Wednesday.
At the time of the incident, the mother and her daughter were responding to a report of a fatality involving a family member that had just happened.

The State Corporation Commission plans a financial review of Appalachian Power Company that includes a review of earnings produced by rates the company charges for generation, distribution, and transmission services.
The company proposes a number of rate structure changes that the company indicates would not generate any additional annual operating revenue.
The changes may cause some customer bills to be higher or lower as a result, the SCC said in a news release.
As part of its March 31 filing, the company proposes to

INDEPENDENCE — The Grayson County Department of Social Services has recouped $34,554.64 of $46,830 in benefits received inappropriately since 2012, thanks to its revamped fraud information program.
Director of Social Services Tony Isom said that since 2012 there have been 80 reports of fraud in the department’s benefits program. He said the most common type of fraud reported involves applicants giving false information on their benefits applications, or failure to report income or correct household composition.

ROANOKE — Work that Appalachian Power has begun on Byllesby Dam goes well beyond replacing the flash boards knocked out of the emergency spillway during a New River flood, according to company officials.

RICHMOND — There’s no danger Gov. Terry McAuliffe will commit the same error as his predecessor when proclaiming April Confederate History Month in Virginia because McAuliffe doesn’t plan to grant that recognition during his four-year tenure.